Glory, glory

John 8: 54 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me.

On Monday nights, one of our church groups has been studying different religions and cults from across the world. It’s a small group of about a dozen people, but we all feel welcome to share our ideas and opinions about other faiths and beliefs. Recently, we’ve been looking at some of the cults – Bahaism, Christian Science, Scientology, etc. We’ve noticed one common pattern – the founder of the faith declares his or her status to be incontrovertible, infallible, and inviolate. Whatever they have written is true; whatever they claim is absolute.

Jesus didn’t write anything down, as far as we know, so all of the claims about Him come to us from the Gospel writers. In today’s passage from John, Christ is confronted by the religious leaders over the opinions that other people have expressed. Instead of affirming what the people are saying, Jesus refuses to glorify Himself. Everything He is or does comes from God, so all of the glory belongs to His Heavenly Father. Jesus doesn’t make Himself out to be the Dream Messiah that everyone was expecting at the time; instead, He yields to God’s sovereignty and power, choosing to obey and abase Himself, rather than enhancing His esteem and building up His reputation.

As Christians, we sometimes find it hard to overcome the temptation of elitism. In being so certain about our faith, we can come across as narrow minded, arrogant, and self-assured believers. We need to step aside, just like Jesus, and let others see whom we serve. If only more people could see the Christ in everyone who claims to be a Christian, then the world would be a better place and our churches would be bursting at the seams.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of the World and the Holy Son of God. We make these claims as Christians because we believe in You, Your ways, and Your words. Help us to witness effectively to the power and positive values of the Gospel. Keep us from hindering Your influence throughout the world by our incapacity to be humble, or through our sinful need to be grandiose. In Your Sacred Name, we pray. Amen.